According to the folk calendar - Nikola Winter

According to the folk calendar, St Nicholas the Winter Day is celebrated on December 19 (December 6, old style) Its origin comes from the church holiday - St Nicholas the Pleasant, who is also called the Wonderworker It was believed that from the day of St Nicholas the Winter began a chain of Christmas holidays, right up to Epiphany The life of Nicholas the Wonderworker began in the 3rd century He was the only child of a noble Christian family From childhood, Nicholas chose the path of serving the Almighty, so after the death of his parents he distributed the inheritance to the poor, and he himself became a priest, then rose to the rank of bishop During his long life, the saint performed hundreds of good deeds, for which he was canonized after his departure to heaven Among the people, Saint Nicholas was the most respected after Jesus Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos He was presented as a kind and compassionate helper in all matters Many considered Nicholas their patron: in their prayers, the beggars asked for material assistance, the sick for health, travelers for safe roads, women for family well-being Starting the day of St Nicholas the Winter, peasants went to church for a prayer service and prayed for a good harvest in the coming year Then folk festivities were organized: a common table was set up, beer was put out, people sang and danced The food left over after the holiday was distributed to the poor On the night of St Nicholas the Winter, they made a wish, believing that the miracle worker would help it come true But most of all, children were looking forward to this holiday, because gifts were traditionally given on St Nicholas Day Only obedient children received them, so the children had an incentive to behave well It was Saint Nicholas the Pleasant who became the prototype of modern Santa Claus Usually, severe frosts came to St Nicholas the Winter, and with them the period of matchmaking, because after Christmas, fasting ended and it was allowed to have a wedding Young people who had not been matched were busy preparing for the upcoming holidays or doing fortune telling In addition, all kinds of fairs were held on Nikolin's day On this day, people monitored the weather: if frost was noticed, then the next year promised to produce excellent seedlings A clear and frosty day foreshadowed a bad harvest A strong blizzard predicted a rather harsh winter The weather of Winter Nicholas was similar to Spring Nicholas, held on May 22